The World Bank (WB) and the (IMF) released new reports, saying Iran’s GDP growth is worse than what they had predicted in their last forecasts.

In their new reports, the World Bank forecasts that Iran’s GDP growth is worse than what they had predicted in their last forecasts. They believe that GDP will shrink 3.8% in 2019, and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has an even a worse forecast — 6% contraction.

London, 11 April - The Iraqi city of Basra is dealing with a major drug crisis that came over from Iran, but depleted police resources and overcrowded detention centres mean that the system is struggling to cope, which has led plenty of locals to protest poor services over the last year.

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and his deputies have visited the commanders of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) in the wake of the US designation of the group as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO).

During the meeting with Gen. Mohammad Ali Jafari the top commander of IRGC, Gen Qassem Soleimani the commander of the extraterritorial Qods force and others, Zarif predictably described the US decision as “stupid”, claimed it had created “unity and sympathy in the country”, and called it a sign of “desperate” US policies in the region.

Officials from the US State Department have said that the decision to place the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) on the list of Foreign Terrorist Organisations (FTOs) will reduce the risk of American soldiers or citizens dying as a result of IRGC General Qasem Soleimani.

A British bank has agreed to pay over $1 billion in fines and forfeited assets to the US and New York State for trading with Iran in violation of US sanctions.

Standard Charter Bank, a global financial institution, processed roughly 9,500 financial transactions worth an estimated $240 million between 2007 and 2011, through American financial bodies to benefit Iranian entities, according to federal and state prosecutors on Tuesday.

London, 10 April - Many Iranian-backed fighters are returning home from the Syrian Civil War where they fought in support of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, but they are not necessarily going to Iran.

Iran is famous for having sent thousands of undocumented Shiite Afghan refugees to fight in Syria alongside Iran-backed Hezbollah and the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), since 2011. Why? Because it was cheaper than sending Iranians and would create less public outcry than having Iranians die in Syria.

U.S. President Trump announced last year that it would be undertaking a maximum pressure campaign on the Iranian Mullahs because of its belligerence and terrorist activities that threaten peace and security in the Middle East. His administration has re-imposed crippling economic sanctions and has put restrictions on its oil exports.

There were over 400 protests and strikes across 104 cities, towns, villages, industrial compounds, and business areas in Iran during March, including a three-day strike by teachers and various protests surrounding the government’s dire response to the devastating flash floods. This exceeded February’s total by 166 and equates to an average of 13 protest movements every day.

London, 09 April - One unfortunate fact about the Syrian civil war is that it would have fizzled out years ago had it not been for foreign interventions. In particular, the intervention of Iran. The Syrian forces fighting on the side of President Bashar al Assad would have been long defeated had they not been supported by Iranian forces.

It may be months before we know the full extent of the current nationwide floods in Iran, if indeed the Regime doesn’t seek to cover it all up, but it is already clear that this is one of the biggest natural disasters Iran has suffered in 50 years.

The Islamic Red Crescent has already said that the floods have reached over 300 towns and cities in 22 provinces affecting 18.5 million people (almost a quarter of Iran’s population), with around 1.2 million people now homeless.

London, 09 April - Iran is reportedly planning to lease Syria’s main commercial port in Latakia, which would significantly increase the mullahs’ foothold in the Middle East.

Iran began talks with Syria last month about leasing the container port, which has been under US sanctions since 2015, from October 1. Iran has been upgrading its navy, adding new vessels and submarines, including one that is capable of firing cruise missiles and needs new ports to accommodate them.

The German government will end public funding for radical pro-Iranian-regime, the Islamic Community of Shi'ite Communities of Germany, which is filled with anti-Semitic representatives who call for the destruction of Israel, but not until the end of 2019.

On Thursday, German paper Bild reported that Germany’s interior ministry had sent a letter detailing their removal of funds for the Shi'ite umbrella organization, including the Islamic Center in Hamburg, which is funded by Germany’s family ministry and the European Union. The German federal government said that the Shi'ite umbrella organization was “influenced by extremists”, that the chair of the Shi'ite umbrella group Mahmud Khalilzadeh is "a member of the political and religious establishment of the Islamic Republic of Iran”, and that all important positions within the group were held by pro-Iranian regime and pro-Hezbollah members.

The Iranian Regime is terrified that the People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) is becoming increasingly popular on the internet, especially on social media sites that are officially banned in Iran, and thus have increased the ability to mobilise the Iranian people, in particular, young people.

At the end of their meeting in France, the G7 Foreign Ministers issued a final joint communique, insisting on their deep concern over Iran’s “continuing support for terrorist organizations and armed militias.”

At the end of their meeting in St. Malo held on 5th and 6th of April, in their communique, the G7 countries said they are determined to prevent Iran from reaching a nuclear weapon and asked UN member states to make voluntary contributions to the IAEA to ensure it has the resources necessary to fulfill this vital role.

London, 08 April - Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Chief Commander Major General Mohammad Ali Jafari threatened US forces in western Asia on Sunday, saying that if the US designates the IRGC as a terrorist organization then those troops would “lose peace and quiet”.

Jafari said: “If the US takes this step and endangers our national security we will take reciprocal measures, based on the policies of the Islamic Republic.”

London, 07 April - As the UK geared up for the Christmas holiday, Sky News reported about a number of cyberattacks that involved local government networks as well as the post office. On December 23rd, some 10,000 pieces of data records were stolen, including email addresses, postal addresses, company positions and many phone numbers, such as the mobile number of Post Office chief executive Paula Vennells and at least ten peers and MPs.

The U.S. Congressional Research Service has published a report on the status of Iran’s nuclear program. It highlighted that Iran’s nuclear program has been a concern since the seventies when it became clear that Iran might work towards obtaining a nuclear weapon.